Method of mixing acetylene gas and air for heating purposes.



- PATENTEDJUNE 19, 1906.

v A. KEITH. METHOD OF MIXING AGETYLENE GAS AND AIR FOR HEATING PURPOSES.

APPLICATION mm) APE-4.1.903.

2 snnn'Ts-snsn'r 1.

munsw. a. GRAHAM co PHom-UTHQGRAPHERS. wasnmc'row. u, a

No. 823,538: PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906.

' A. KEITH.

METHOD OF MIXING AGETYLENE GAS AND AIR FOR HEATING PURPOSES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.4.1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

munew. u' GRAHAM cu. PHOYD-LIMUGRAPNERS. WASNINGION. \7 c UNITED STATESPATENT onrron;

Specificationbf Letters Patent.-=

Ap lication-film Aim 4, 190321' sem irmisL lrsi Patented June 1 9;:-19065.

Te a/U whom it may concern:-

B'eit known-that L'ALEXANDERKEITE of the city of Toronto, in the countyof Yorkfin the Province ofO'ntario, Canada, have invent ed certain newand useful "Improvements in Methods of Mixing Acetylene Gas and for 1Heating Purposes ,-=of which'the following is a specification;

My inventi'on -relates to an improved method of mixing' acetylene gasand air' 'fon heating purposes and more 'especially forburning-m'connectlon wlthan ordinary man tle-burnerto heat the: mantleto incandes-- causeobstruction in the tipbyreason of deosits thereon;and with the" mantle-burner, rom this tendency to deposit and'from othercauses, it has be'enheretofore impracticable to burn acetylene gas insuch burners;

. The object of my invention is to overcome this difliculty, andby meansof'myinvention I am able to burn'this gas in a mantle-burner withoutobstruction or'smoke-and withan extraordinary illuminating power.-Hereto fore attempt has been made toburn acetylenegas in amantleburnerbya direct di'scharge'of such gas unmixed througha small orifice smallenough to prevent back=firing, but with openings opposite suchorifice tothe atmosphere to allow the air tobe' drawn'in by the force of'the jetofgas but this fails to perfectly mix the 'gas, and as the amount of theairtaken in'depends upon'the force of the jet of gas that" amount varieswith'the force of discharge of'the gas and so materially as to renderthe result uncertain and the method impracticable It has beenattemptedto remedy the difficulty of deposit inordinary-tip open-flame burners byforcing'currents ofair against the exterior' surface of the tip andthereby lifting or removing the combustion-point fromim-- ture to-theburnerS anautomatic mixer,'bywhich l meanthat Ini connectionswithi theordinary tip 0i an open-flame burner acetylene gas tends "to ratuspartlyin"side*elevationand partly" ing'apparatus' a pipe Q-leads to 'branchipshown'in Fig. 2 had-been devised by?me:w1-

ments and *"conditi'on's vI have F devised land f' practically appliedto use '1 myjiinv'e'ntibnfl 1 which "consists ina methijdf'oit' usi-ngacetya lenegas-for producinglight 'from 'anyj'suitable' source inconnection" wi-th a mantle-burner' by mixing said gas *with atmospheriotime any* suitable equivalent thereof in propje proportions prior *tothe:supply 'of the In order that"the apparatus' maybe'auto 'matic and-thattheproportions-mayfbe mairi tainedf under- -varyirigvpressure' of the-gasy- I 5 carryoutmyinvention*prefera'blybyjmeansof 7 themixer isoperated-by the pressure' 'of -th 'gasand maintains the"relativeproportions=- and at the same tirire-supplies themixtureto theburner under suitable pressur'ei This" invention I have-'il'liistratedin the ac comp-anying' drawings, which:

Figure 1 illustrates the apparatus :in auto matic form.

shows the-mixingeapp section. I 7 In the diagramofFigE "'1, S indicates"anyjz' suitable source ofsupply of the acetylenegags, from which a-pipeP leadstothemixingwapa paratus, (indicated at M, t vand from 'this' r rs such as *1, WhlClPdlIGGtlY connect' wi-t the ordinarycmantl'e-burne'rsi The special form-' of"mixingifapparatus theparticular object of-beingoperat'ed byth I 0 gas-pressure 'andofproducing i and'maintainw ingthe uniform" mixture- "of-the-air' i'andgasprior to supplying it to the bi1rne'rs-and, fur

ther', with the object of'renderingthe appa ratus simple inconstructionwand not liabl 5'9 to derangement 'butfit will be-understood that I do not limit myself to thisspeciah foim of apparatus,nor do '1 herein fc la'irn' this 'spe cialform this being the subjectofflanother application. j 1foo Referring now to Figw-2; B and--13 -ires sent gas-holders providedvrith vertic a'l'niov 1 ing bells 3'and"water seal? Mounted upon these bellsj'but notcommunidatingthei'ewithl are exp ansible orb'ellows'fextensions 6 0 the1 o 5 upper ends of Which are connected with a fixed plate i, theconstruction being such that the extension is collapsed, as shown at G,when the bell 3 is in its raised position, and the'bellows are extended,as shown at C, when the bell is down in the holder. These bellows areadapted to hold air and act as pumps receiving air through automaticvalves 17 and 18 from the atmosphere and forcing it through valves and16 into bellows D, as hereinafter more fully explained. Gas is suppliedto the holders from the pipe P through branches 5 and 6 and aninterposed three-way cock 7. These branches extend upward into theholders, as shown, and discharge therein. Thevalve is controlled by ahollow arm 8, centrally connected at its stemand provided with a weight9, adapted to shift from end to end of the arm. This connection isthrough spurs, by means of which and the shifting of the weight thefinal movement of the valve is rendered certain and promgt. The two endsof the arm are connecte respectively, with the upper ends of the bellsby chains 10 and 11, the arrangement-being such that when one end of thelever 8 is down the valve opens into the branch pipe on that side and isclosed on the other. Under continued pressure, therefore, from the pipeI the holders will be filled automatically and alternately, the arm ofthe valve being controlled through the chains by the alternate risingand falling of the bells, and

- thus the holders are alternately filled and extended. The branch pipes5 and 6 are supplied with suitable automatic valves at their ends.Alternate discharge of gas from these holders is effected through branchpipes 12 13, connected to a central pipe 14, discharging through asuitable automatic valve into the bellows D. The ends of these branchpipes within the holders are provided also withsuitable automaticvalves. The bel- I lows D are mountedupon the plate 4, to which itsbottom is fixed, and the bellows expand upwardly when supplied with themixture of gas and air. The gas is supplied, as explained, throu h thepipe 14. The air is supplied alternate yfrom the bellows C C through thevalves 15 16, opening upwardly from the bellows. These bellows receivethe air from the atmosphere through the valves 17 and 18, and it willreadily appear from an inspection of Fig. 2 that when the bell is risingon one side and compressing the bellows it is discharging the aircontained therein into the bellows D, while the downward movement of thebell on the other side expands the bellows and takes in air through itsproper valve also, that the reverse operation is the same. It will alsobe evident that while thegas isentering through the pipe 6for example,on one sideit is by this expansive force compressing the bellowsonlgthat side, and thus forcing air into the bellows D whileat the sametime the gas is also passing through the pipes 13 and 14 into thebellows D. Meanwhlle the bellows C are taking in air. The proportions ofair and gas are determined by the relative dimensions of bellows D andC. The bells are returned to their depressed condition by means ofweights 18 acting on the bellows on each side, to which they areattached. The bellows D are returnd by the weight 19. The flow of gas iscontrolled by means of a valve F on the stem of which is an arm 20,provided with a weight 21 and connected to a lever 22, pivoted at 24 andhaving a weight resting at 23 on top of the bellows D. The arrangementis such that when the bellows D are expanded with the mixture it willlift the lever 22 and, through its connections turn the valve F and shutoff the gas, while the collapse of the bellows D will reverse the valve.

The proportions of the parts are such, preferably, as to mix the air andgas in equal volumes, as this has been found in my process to give goodresults; but I do not limit myself to these proportions either in theapparatus or process.

The pipe Q leads from the bellows D to the branches which carry theburners.

, The mixture of the air and gas is complete and intimate when it isdelivered to the mantle burner without causing deposits upon the tip orinjury to the mantle, and with this mixture so delivered the mantle-lampcan be burned uniformly and continuously with an exceedingly brilliantlight and with no more difficulty than is experienced with ordinaryilluminating gas.

The point at which the mixture of gas and air takes place is notmaterial, provided that it be thoroughly mixed and delivered in the pipebefore reaching the discharge-orifice.

What I claim as my invention is- The method herein described of mixingacetylene gas and air for heating purposes, the same consisting incontinuously mixing with said gas, air at a pressure in excess ofatmospheric pressure in approximately equal proportions to produce asolely calorific flame by utilizing the pressure of the gas between thegenerator and burner, which produces a mixture of necessarily a lowerpressure than the pressure of the gas, and burning the mixture within amantle of incandescing material, substantially as described.

' ALEXANDER KEITH.

Witnesses:

B. BOYD, M. MCLAREN.

